Step into the World of a Syrian Refugee

Refugees face a daunting task, no matter where they begin their journey. The perils they face in the environment, lack of resources, and vulnerability to human trafficking, makes every step a risk. Many take immediate refuge in neighbouring countries, as in the case of millions of Syrians finding sanctuary in Lebanon. Follow one family of urban refugees as they navigate their new reality after a harrowing flight from Syria.

Six Essential Objects for Refugee Women and Girls

Today, 50 per cent of refugees uprooted from their homes from conflict, persecution or natural disasters are women and girls. This translates to more than 11 million refugee women and girls. During times of crisis, their specific needs and voices are often neglected. There are six essential objects that give women and girls agency and secure their health, dignity and rights.

The first item is a razor blade- not for a close shave, but to cut the umbilical cord when a child is born in a refugee camp.

Maha Aasi Emm Ala’a, a Syrian refugee, came to the UN Women run women’s centre in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp with severe depression after her husband passed away. She received counseling and found tailoring work through the cash-for-work programme. The women’s centres in Za’atari Refugee Camp are building women’s resilience and empowering them as leaders, workers and entrepreneurs.

Pasca Kole is a 42 year-old refugee woman from South Sudan living in the Pagirinya Settlement in northern Uganda. In July 2016, when the war reached her village in Pagere county, South Sudan, Kole escaped, along with her three children aged 14, 7 and 3 years. She was eight months pregnant at the time, expecting her fourth child. It was not an easy journey.